Swarms of devastating earthquakes are set to arrive next year due to the slowing of Earth’s rotation, scientists claim.

Experts warn we ‘had it easy this year’ with just six severe earthquakes.

Next year we could have at least 20 serious earthquakes, and the most intense ones are expected to occur in tropical regions, home to around one billion people.

Tiny changes in the speed of our planet’s rotation will trigger huge seismic activity by releasing vast amounts of underground energy, experts claim – although their research has been rejected by some scientists.

The planet’s rotation is slowing down because of tidal forces between Earth and the moon.

The side of Earth closest to the moon feels its pull the strongest, while the side farthest from the moon feels its gravity less.